NDC will establish agri-business zone in Dangbe West District - Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has assured the people of the Dangbe West District in the Greater Accra Region that his second term will see the establishment of an agri-business zone in the district to make the area a major food basket in the region.

He added that farmer centres would also be set up in that part of the region to ensure ready market for farmers.

The President, who is continuing the second phase of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, addressed separate mini rallies at Osuwem and Asutsuare and asked supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to close their ranks for a resounding victory in the December polls.

President Mahama began his campaign in the region on Monday with visits to the Kaneshie Market and rallies at the Okaikoi South, Ablekuma North and Okaikoi Central constituencies where he defended his record for re-election.

Osudoku Traditional Area

At Osuwem, President Mahama assured the people of the Osudoku Traditional Area of a new district to be carved out of the Shai-Osudoku district in his second term.

The new district, he said, would contribute to the speedy development of Osudoku.

He said Shai-Osudoku had been very loyal to the NDC and, therefore, the government would forever be grateful to them.

He gave the assurance in reaction to a request by the Paramount Chief of Osudoku Traditional Area, Nene Aadegbor Ngmogmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, during a courtesy call by the President on members of the Osudoku Traditional Council at Osuwem in Shai-Osudoku.

Dodowa rally

The President arrived at the Dodowa Presbyterian school park from Asutuare to a tumultuous welcome from NDC supporters who had lined up the streets to welcome him.

Addressing the supporters, the National Organiser of the NDC, Mr Kofi Adams, urged the people never to make a mistake by voting for any other candidates but President Mahama.

He said the NDC had performed creditably in office to deserve another term.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, discredited the one village one factory policy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and called on the electorate to dismiss the party’s phantom promises and reject it at the polls.

He told the people that for there to be a factory, there should be roads, hospitals, schools and health facilities, and, therefore, for the NPP to condemn the Mahama administration for building those infrastructure smacked of hypocrisy.

He added that siting factories in places without such facilities could only come from leaders who lacked vision to govern.

When President Mahama mounted the stage, the ecstatic crowd chanted NDC slogans such as ‘JM toaso’ and ‘NDC edey be keke.’

The President likened himself to Usain Bolt, saying that even before the final results would be declared he would have already taken the lead to victory.

He defended his commitment to building infrastructure, describing it as an investment that would create jobs for the people and also open up the economy.

He said history was repeating itself and recalled when Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was called all sorts of names by members of the United Party (UP) when he embarked on infrastructural development in the country.

He posited that the very people who condemned Kwame Nkrumah for his vision to develop the country were repeating the same thing today.

“When you build roads, they complain, when you build schools, they complain, when you build hospitals, they complain,” the President stated.

He questioned why the NPP was promising to create jobs in its campaign and yet turned round to condemn the very projects that created jobs for the people.

Buttressing his case on the importance of infrastructural development, he said the US Republican Presidential candidate, Mrs Hilary Clinton, in her campaign had promised to invest $200 million into infrastructure.

He said the NPP made about one million Ghanaians queue in a scorching sun to register with the promise of securing jobs for them under the former National Youth Employment Programme, which never materialised.

President Mahama entreated the electorate to take a cue from that and vote accordingly.

Re-elect me

Justifying why the electorate should re-elect him for another four-year term, the President said former Presidents John Kufuor and Jerry John Rawlings each served for eight years, therefore it was only fair for him to be given another chance to constitute a proper basis for comparison.